U.S. patent application number 14/404088 was filed with the patent office on 2015-05-07 for improved status notification for a mobile communications terminal.
This patent application is currently assigned to DORO AB. The applicant listed for this patent is DORO AB. Invention is credited to Peter Cullin, Yucel Yasar.
Application Number | 20150128055 14/404088 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46229165 |
Filed Date | 2015-05-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150128055 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yasar; Yucel ; et
al. |
May 7, 2015 |
IMPROVED STATUS NOTIFICATION FOR A MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS
TERMINAL
Abstract
A mobile communications terminal (200) comprising a memory
(240), a display (120, 220) and a controller (210). The controller
(210) is configured to display at least one smaller icon (510) for
indicating a status and to receive a selection of a status menu
option. The apparatus is further configured to display an enlarged
icon (550) being an enlarged version of a corresponding smaller
icon (510) for enabling a cognitive link between the smaller icon
and a related status in direct response to receiving the selection
and wherein the controller (210) is further configured to receive a
scroll command and in response thereto display a second enlarged
icon.
Inventors: |
Yasar; Yucel; (Sodra Sandby,
SE) ; Cullin; Peter; (Staffanstorp, SE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
DORO AB |
Lund |
|
SE |
|
|
Assignee: |
DORO AB
Lund
SE
|
Family ID: |
46229165 |
Appl. No.: |
14/404088 |
Filed: |
May 24, 2013 |
PCT Filed: |
May 24, 2013 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2013/060795 |
371 Date: |
November 26, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61658165 |
Jun 11, 2012 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
715/736 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M 1/72588 20130101;
H04M 1/72519 20130101; G06F 3/0482 20130101; G06F 3/0485 20130101;
G06F 3/04817 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/736 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/0481 20060101
G06F003/0481; G06F 3/0482 20060101 G06F003/0482; G06F 3/0485
20060101 G06F003/0485 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 28, 2012 |
EP |
12004106.6 |
Claims
1-9. (canceled)
10. A mobile communications terminal comprising a memory, a display
and a controller, wherein said controller is configured to: display
at least one icon for indicating a status; receive a selection of a
status menu option, wherein said status menu option is comprised in
a main menu of said mobile communications terminal; and in direct
response to said status menu option being selected and without
requiring further inputs, display an enlarged icon corresponding to
the icon being an enlarged version of the corresponding icon for
enabling a cognitive link between the icon and a related status and
continue to display at least the corresponding icon while
displaying the enlarged icon; and wherein the controller is further
configured to receive a scroll command and in response thereto
display a second enlarged icon.
11. The mobile communications terminal according to claim 10,
wherein the controller is further configured to display status
information at the same time as displaying the enlarged icon.
12. The mobile communications terminal according to claim 10,
wherein the controller is further configured to highlight the
corresponding icon.
13. The mobile communications terminal according to claim 10,
further comprising a keypad comprising a selection key, wherein the
selection of a status menu option is received through said
selection key.
14. The mobile communications terminal according to claim 10,
wherein the controller is further configured to display only
information that is relevant to the status related to the enlarged
icon and softkey labels related to menu navigation, said
information being a descriptive title and a status value.
15. The mobile communications terminal according to claim 10,
wherein the controller is further configured to display only a
plurality of icons and information that is relevant to the status
related to the enlarged icon.
16. A method for use in a mobile communications terminal comprising
a memory and a display, said method comprising: displaying at least
one smaller icon for indicating a status; receiving a selection of
a status menu option, wherein said status menu option is comprised
in a main menu of said mobile communications terminal; and in
direct response to said status menu option being selected and
without requiring further inputs, displaying an enlarged icon
corresponding to the icon being an enlarged version of the
corresponding icon for enabling a cognitive link between the
smaller icon and a related status and continue displaying at least
the corresponding icon while displaying the enlarged icon; and
receiving a scroll command and in response thereto display a second
enlarged icon.
17. A computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions
that, when loaded and executed on a processor, causes the method
according to claim 16 to be performed.
18. A mobile communications terminal comprising a memory, a display
and a controller, wherein said controller is configured to: display
at least one icon for indicating a status, said at least one icon
being displayed in a small format to allow for displaying a
plurality of icons while not consuming a major portion of an
available display area, thus allowing for presentation of other
information and data, relevant to applications being executed on
the mobile communications terminal; receive a selection of a status
menu option, wherein said status menu option is comprised in a main
menu of said mobile communications terminal; and in direct response
to said status menu option being selected, and without requiring
further inputs; display an enlarged icon corresponding to the icon
being an enlarged version of the corresponding icon for enabling a
cognitive link between the corresponding icon and a related status
and continue to display at least the corresponding icon, but not
continue to allow for presentation of other information and data,
relevant to applications being executed on the mobile
communications terminal, while displaying the enlarged icon; and
wherein the controller is further configured to receive a scroll
command and in response thereto display a second enlarged icon.
19. A method for use in a mobile communications terminal comprising
a memory and a display, said method comprising: displaying at least
one smaller icon for indicating a status, said at least one icon
being displayed in a small format to allow for displaying a
plurality of icons while not consuming a major portion of an
available display area, thus allowing for presentation of other
information and data, relevant to applications being executed on
the mobile communications terminal; receiving a selection of a
status menu option, wherein said status menu option is comprised in
a main menu of said mobile communications terminal; and in direct
response to said status menu option being selected, and without
requiring further inputs; displaying an enlarged icon corresponding
to the icon being an enlarged version of the corresponding icon for
enabling a cognitive link between the corresponding icon and a
related status and continue displaying at least the corresponding
icon, but not continue to allow for presentation of other
information and data, relevant to applications being executed on
the mobile communications terminal, while displaying the enlarged
icon; and receiving a scroll command and in response thereto
display a second enlarged icon.
20. A computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions
that, when loaded and executed on a processor, causes the method
according to claim 19 to be performed.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This application relates to a method, a mobile
communications terminal and a computer-readable storage medium for
an improved user interface, and in particular to a method, a mobile
communications terminal and a computer-readable storage medium for
an improved notification of a status.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In today's society where mobile communications terminals are
becoming more and more advanced the amount of information that is
presented to a user is also growing. A user is made aware of the
operational status of the mobile communications terminal, by
displaying an indication of operational features such as the
current battery level, the current ringing tone setting, the signal
strength level, missed calls, incoming messages as well as other
operational features.
[0003] This is not a problem that solely occurs in modern mobile
communications terminals. The same problem also exists in older
mobile communications terminals, where the amount of information to
display may not be as great, but where the graphical capabilities
of the older mobile communications terminals restrict the manner of
displaying the information. For example, the icons can not be
displayed in as much detail.
[0004] The amount of information that is to be displayed and the
relatively small display sizes necessitate that these notifications
are displayed as small icons indicating the status of the
operational features. This makes it difficult for a technically
inexperienced user to differentiate between the meanings of the
different icons. In fact, some users may even have difficulties
differentiating between different icons. One example being the
similarity between the icon for an incoming SMS (short Message
Service) message and the icon for an incoming email message that
can be difficult to tell apart. Various techniques exist for
providing additional information to a user.
[0005] One example of such a technique is that by highlighting an
icon an explanation is displayed. This technique suffers from at
least the drawbacks that it is not intuitive and some users may
have difficulties in selecting the correct icon. The technique also
requires the use of a touchscreen, something many inexperienced
users are biased to shy away from due to the mental and cognitive
effort to adapt to and learn a new technique. This is relatively
common among the senior population.
[0006] Another example of such a technique is that by performing a
pull down of the status bar on which the status icons are
displayed, a more detailed notification is displayed, such as in
the Android.TM. based mobile communications terminal Sony.RTM.
Xperia.RTM. Arc-S. This technique suffers from at least the
drawbacks that it is reliant on a touch screen and also that it
does not provide a cognitive link between the displayed icon and
the detailed notification. It is furthermore not intuitive to an
inexperienced user how to activate the detailed view.
[0007] Another example of such a technique is to provide a
dedicated key for accessing a settings menu. Through the settings
menu a relevant status option (such as Status Messages, Network
Statistics, Firmware Versions to name a few) may be selected to
display information relevant to that option. One such technique is
implemented in the Cisco Unified OP Phone models 7960G and 7940G.
This technique suffers from at least the drawbacks that it requires
a dedicated key and that the grouping of the statuses are arranged
to suit technically experienced users. It also does not provide a
cognitive link between the indication and the information.
Furthermore, a user looking for specific information will have to
traverse a menu system through many levels to reach the relevant
information. The information provided along the path will confuse
and bewilder an inexperienced user.
[0008] Inexperienced users such as the elder often have a strong
bias against adapting to new technologies and as such require that
a product is highly intuitive to use. This provides for may areas
in which to provide solutions for simplifying existing user
interface concepts so that they suit the technically inexperienced
seniors.
[0009] There is thus a need for an improved manner of notifying a
user of a status and solving the longstanding problems as outlined
above.
[0010] It should be noted that in the technical area of mobile
communications terminals there has in the last few years been a
change of user interface paradigms since the introduction of the
touch screens. The touch interface is based on a fundamentally
different concept and many inexperienced users find it difficult to
adapt to this new way of thinking about, handling and structuring a
user interface. Those users that are unable to adopt the new
concept will effectively be prevented from using many of the
fantastic features that are now available for use even in mobile
communications terminals, such as smartphones. The skilled person,
always being interested in improving and developing his field,
sometimes looses track of more traditional values and concepts. The
result is often highly complex and fantastic features and products
that bring great joy and usability to the broad community, whereas
some users are left behind as being unable to adopt the swiftly
emerging new technologies.
SUMMARY
[0011] It is a further object of the teachings of this application
to overcome the problems listed above by providing a mobile
communications terminal comprising a memory, a display and a
controller, wherein said controller is configured to display at
least one smaller icon for indicating a status, receive a selection
of a status menu option and in direct response thereto display an
enlarged icon being an enlarged version of a corresponding smaller
icon for enabling a cognitive link between the smaller icon and a
related status and wherein the controller is further configured to
receive a scroll command and in response thereto display a second
enlarged icon.
[0012] It is a further object of the teachings of this application
to overcome the problems listed above by providing a method for use
in a mobile communications terminal comprising a memory, a display
and a controller, said method comprising displaying at least one
smaller icon for indicating a status, receiving a selection of a
status menu option and in direct response thereto displaying an
enlarged icon being an enlarged version of a corresponding smaller
icon for enabling a cognitive link between the smaller icon and a
related status and receiving a scroll command and in response
thereto displaying a second enlarged icon.
[0013] It is a further object of the teachings of this application
to overcome the problems listed above by providing a computer
readable medium comprising instructions that when loaded into and
executed by a controller, such as a processor, cause the execution
of a method according to herein.
[0014] The inventors of the present application have realized,
after inventive and insightful reasoning, that by providing an
enlarged view of the smaller icon and without displaying other
unrelated information that may distract the user, it is easier for
a user to form a cognitive link or association between the smaller
icon and the related function or status.
[0015] Other features and advantages of the disclosed embodiments
will appear from the attached detailed disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0016] The invention will be described in further detail under
reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0017] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a mobile communications
terminal according to one embodiment of the teachings of this
application;
[0018] FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of the general structure of a
mobile communications terminal according to one embodiment of the
teachings of this application;
[0019] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a telecommunications
network comprising a mobile communications terminal according to
one embodiment of the teachings of this application;
[0020] FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of a computer-readable medium
according to one embodiment of the teachings of this
application;
[0021] FIGS. 5A and 5B each shows a schematic view of a mobile
communications terminal according to one embodiment of the
teachings of this application;
[0022] FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C each shows a view a mobile
communications terminal displaying a status notification according
to an example of the teachings of this application; and
[0023] FIG. 7 shows a flow chart for a general method according to
an embodiment of the teachings of this application.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] The disclosed embodiments will now be described more fully
hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
certain embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may,
however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be
construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather,
these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this
disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the
scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers
refer to like elements throughout.
[0025] FIG. 1 shows a schematic overview of a mobile communications
terminal 100 adapted according to the teachings herein. In the
embodiment shown the mobile communications terminal is a mobile
phone 100. In other embodiments the mobile communications terminal
100 is a personal digital assistant, a media player, a location
finding device or any hand-held device capable of communicating
with other devices.
[0026] The mobile phone 100 comprises a housing 110 in which a
display 120 is arranged. In one embodiment the display 120 is a
non-touch display. In other embodiments the display 120 is a touch
display. Furthermore, the mobile phone 100 comprises eleven keys
130. In this embodiment there are two softkeys and 9 other keys,
but any number of keys, including none, is possible and depends on
the design of the mobile phone 100. In one embodiment the mobile
phone 100 is configured to display and operate a virtual key 135 on
the touch display 120. It should be noted that the number of
virtual keys 135 are dependent on the design of the mobile phone
100 and an application that is executed on the mobile phone 100. In
one embodiment the communications terminal 100 comprises an ITU-T
keypad or a QWERTY (or equivalent) keypad in addition to or as an
alternative to a touch-sensitive display. In an embodiment where
the keypad is an alternative to a touch-sensitive display, the
display 120 is a non-touch-sensitive display.
[0027] FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of the general structure of a
mobile communications terminal which may be a mobile phone 100
according to FIG. 1. The mobile communications terminal 200
comprises a controller 210 which is responsible for the overall
operation of the mobile terminal and is preferably implemented by
any commercially available CPU ("Central Processing Unit"), DSP
("digital signal processor") or any other electronic programmable
logic device, or a combination of such processors and/or other
electronic programmable logic device. The controller 210 may be
implemented using instructions that enable hardware functionality,
for example, by using executable computer program instructions in a
general-purpose or special-purpose processor that may be stored on
a computer readable storage medium (disk, memory etc) 240 to be
executed by such a processor. The controller 210 is configured to
read instructions from the memory 240 and execute these
instructions to control the operation of the mobile communications
terminal 100. The memory 240 may be implemented using any commonly
known technology for computer-readable memories such as ROM, RAM,
SRAM, DRAM, CMOS, FLASH, DDR, EEPROM memory, flash memory, hard
drive, optical storage or any combination thereof. The memory 240
is used for various purposes by the controller 210, one of them
being for storing application data and various software modules in
the mobile terminal.
[0028] The software modules include a real-time operating system,
drivers for a user-machine interface 220, an application handler as
well as various applications 250. The applications 250 are sets of
instructions that when executed by the controller 210 control the
operation of the mobile communications terminal 100. The
applications 250 can include a messaging application for short
messaging service (SMS), multimedia messaging service (MMS) and
electronic mail, a media player application, as well as various
other applications 250, such as applications for voice calling,
video calling, web browsing, document reading and/or document
editing, an instant messaging application, a phonebook application,
a calendar application, a control panel application, one or more
video games, a notepad application, location finding applications,
etc. Furthermore, the mobile communications terminal 200 comprises
a positioning device, such as a GPS (Global Positioning Systems)
device 260.
[0029] The mobile communications terminal 200 further comprises a
user interface 220, which in the mobile phone 100 of FIG. 1 is
comprised of the display 120, the keys 130, 135, a microphone and a
loudspeaker. The user interface (UI) 220 also includes one or more
hardware controllers, which together with the user interface
drivers cooperate with the display 120, keypad 130, as well as
various other I/O devices such as vibrator, ringtone generator, LED
indicator, etc. As is commonly known, the user may operate the
mobile terminal through the man-machine interface thus formed.
[0030] The mobile communications terminal 200 further comprises a
radio frequency interface 230, which is adapted to allow the mobile
communications terminal to communicate with other communications
terminals in a radio frequency band through the use of different
radio frequency technologies. Examples of such technologies are
W-CDMA, GSM, UTRAN, LTE and NMT to name a few. The controller 210
is configured to operably execute the applications 250, such as the
voice call and message handling applications, through the RF
interface 230 and software stored in the memory 240. The software
includes various modules, protocol stacks, drivers, etc. to provide
communication services (such as transport, network and
connectivity) for the RF interface 230, and optionally a Bluetooth
interface and/or an IrDA interface for local connectivity. The RF
interface 230 comprises an internal or external antenna as well as
appropriate radio circuitry for establishing and maintaining a
wireless link to a base station. As is well known to a person
skilled in the art, the radio circuitry comprises a series of
analogue and digital electronic components, together forming a
radio receiver and transmitter. These components include, for
example, band pass filters, amplifiers, mixers, local oscillators,
low pass filters, AD/DA converters, etc.
[0031] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the general structure of a
telecommunications system 300 according to the teachings herein. In
the telecommunication system of FIG. 3, various telecommunications
services such as cellular voice calls, www/wap browsing, cellular
video calls, data calls, facsimile transmissions, music
transmissions, still image transmissions, video transmissions,
electronic message transmissions and electronic commerce may be
performed between a mobile terminal 100, 200, 300, 350 according to
the disclosed embodiments and other communications terminals, such
as another mobile terminal 355 or a stationary telephone 380. The
mobile terminals 350, 355 are connected to a mobile
telecommunications network 310 through Radio Frequency links via
base stations 340.
[0032] The telecommunications system 300 comprises at least one
server 330. A server 330 has a data storage and a controller that
may be implemented by any commercially available CPU ("Central
Processing Unit"), DSP ("Digital Signal Processor") or any other
electronic programmable logic device. In one embodiment such a
server is a Mobility Management Entity (MME). In one embodiment
such a server is a Gateway (GW). The servers 330 are configured to
communicate with a mobile telecommunications core network (CN) 310
and/or an external resource 320 such as the internet or a Public
Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). A PSTN 320 is configured to
communicate with and establish communication between stationary or
portable telephones 380. In one embodiment the external resource
comprises or is configured to communicate with an external service
provider 390. In one embodiment the servers 330 are configured to
communicate with other communications terminals using a packet
switched technology or protocol. In such an embodiment the servers
330 may make up an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) layer.
[0033] The servers 330 are configured to communicate with nodes,
also referred to as base stations 340. In one embodiment the base
station 340 is an evolved Node Base (eNB). A base station 340 is
further configured to communicate with a server 330. In one
embodiment the communication between a server 330 and a base
station 340 is effected through a standard or protocol 370. In one
embodiment the protocol is S1. A base station 340 is configured to
communicate with another base station 340. In one embodiment the
communication between a base station 340 and another base station
340 is effected through a standard or protocol 360. In one
embodiment the protocol 360 is X2. A base station 340 is further
configured to handle or service a cell. In one embodiment the at
least one base stations 340 make up a Long Term Evolution (LTE)
layer. In one embodiment the at least one base stations 340 make up
an LTE Advanced layer.
[0034] In one embodiment the base station 340 is configured to
communicate with a mobile communications terminal 350 (100) through
a wireless radio frequency protocol.
[0035] In one embodiment the telecommunications system 300 is an
Evolved Packet System (EPS) network. In one embodiment the
telecommunications system is a system based on the 3GPP (3rd
Generation Partnership Project) standard. In one embodiment the
telecommunications system is a system based on the UMTS (Universal
Mobile Telecommunications System) standard. In one embodiment the
telecommunications system is a system based on a telecommunications
standard such as GSM, D-AMPS, CDMA2000, FOMA or TD-SCDMA.
[0036] References to `computer-readable storage medium`, `computer
program product`, `tangibly embodied computer program` etc. or a
`controller`, `computer`, `processor` etc. should be understood to
encompass not only computers having different architectures such as
single/multi-processor architectures and sequential (Von
Neumann)/parallel architectures but also specialized circuits such
as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), application specific
circuits (ASIC), signal processing devices and other devices.
References to computer program, instructions, code etc. should be
understood to encompass software for a programmable processor or
firmware such as, for example, the programmable content of a
hardware device whether instructions for a processor, or
configuration settings for a fixed-function device, gate array or
programmable logic device etc.
[0037] FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of a computer-readable medium
as described in the above. The computer-readable medium 40 is in
this embodiment a memory stick, such as a Universal Serial Bus
(USB) stick. The USB stick 40 comprises a housing 43 having an
interface, such as a connector 44, and a memory chip 42. The memory
chip 42 is a flash memory, that is, a non-volatile data storage
that can be electrically erased and re-programmed. The memory chip
42 is programmed with instructions 41 that when loaded (possibly
via the interface 44) into a controller, such as a processor,
executes a method or procedure according to the embodiments
disclosed above. The USB stick is arranged to be connected to and
read by a reading device, such as a terminal according to FIG. 1,
for loading the instructions into the controller. It should be
noted that a computer-readable medium can also be other mediums
such as compact discs, digital video discs, hard drives or other
memory technologies commonly used. The instructions can also be
downloaded from the computer-readable medium via a wireless
interface to be loaded into the controller.
[0038] To enable a simple notification of a status to a user, a
menu option is added to the main menu in the user interface of the
mobile communications terminal 100, 200, 300, 350. Selecting this
status menu option causes the mobile communications terminal to
display a status notification having an enlarged version of the
corresponding status icon along with information identifying the
status and information relating to the current status. Examples of
this will be shown with reference to FIGS. 5A, 5B and 6A, 6B, and
6C. Some examples of information possibly on status that may be
provided to a user are forwarding numbers, In Case of Emergency
ICE, Owner number, Summary of Gallery, Next Alarm, Next Calendar
event, Next daily reminder, Weather, Block functions--If anything
blocked, 2G/3G network coverage, Memory status of
phonebook/messages/Filemanager e.tc, Doro experience account,
"Assistance", SIM lock/Phone lock status, and Speed dial.
[0039] FIG. 5 shows an example of a mobile communications terminal
according to herein. In this example embodiment the mobile
communications terminal 500 is the mobile communications terminal
100 of FIG. 1 and the mobile communications terminal 200 of FIG. 2.
In this embodiment the mobile communications terminal 500 is a
mobile phone. The operation of the mobile communications terminal
500 may be effected through a controller (referenced 210 in FIG.
2). The mobile communications terminal 500 is configured to display
at least one status icon 510a-c on the display 520. In the example
of FIG. 5A three such icons are displayed, one for indicating a
signal strength 510a, one for indicating an alert setting 510b and
one for indicating a battery power level 510c. The status icons
510a-c are displayed in a small format to allow for displaying a
plurality of icons 510a-c while not consuming a large portion of
the available display area, thus allowing for presentation of other
information and data, possibly relevant for applications being
executed on the mobile communications terminal 500.
[0040] The mobile communications terminal 500 also has a number of
keys, of which one is a selection key 530a and one is a navigation
key 530b. In this example the selection key 530a is a soft key, and
the navigation key 530b is an up/down scroll key. The selection key
530a and the navigation key 530b can be used to activate a menu and
navigate through the menu to select a particular option. One
possible listing of menu options is shown below.
TABLE-US-00001 Menu Alternative Menu 1. Call register Status 2.
Contacts Call register 3. Messages Contacts 4. Calendar Messages 5.
Radio Calendar 6. Camera Radio 7. Gallery Camera 8. Status
Gallery
[0041] It should be noted that the options and the order in the
list may vary depending on the design and capability of the mobile
communications terminal 500.
[0042] To allow a user to obtain a better view of the status
indication in a manner that is easy to access and easy to
understand for an inexperienced user, requiring no adaptation on
the user's part, a status menu option (number 8 in the menu list
above) is comprised in the menu. In this example the status menu
option is positioned as number 8, but another position, for example
number 1, is also possible as in the Alternative Menu shown above.
In a cyclic list the last position (in this example position number
8) is easy to reach through one press on the up-portion of the
navigation key 530b.
[0043] The mobile communications terminal 500 is configured to
receive a selection of the status menu option and in response
thereto display a screen image as in FIG. 5B. In one embodiment the
status image of FIG. 5B is displayed directly as the status menu
option has been chosen, possibly after a loading or other status
determining phase has been executed. The status image of FIG. 5B
is, however, displayed directly as in without requiring further
inputs from a user. The mobile communications terminal 500 is
configured to display an enlarged icon 550. The enlarged icon 550
corresponds to one of the displayed status icons 510a-c. The
enlarged icon 550 is preferably an enlarged version of the
corresponding status icon 510a-c. This allows for a cognitive link
to be established between the small status icon 510a-c and the
enlarged icon 550. A user seeing the enlarged icon 550 will be able
to identify what the icon symbolizes more clearly and thereby be
aided in concluding the function it represents. The user will also
be able to associate the larger icon 550 with the smaller status
icon 510a-c and in the future possibly be able to identify the
smaller icon and remember its purpose, especially so if the smaller
icon 510a-c is still being displayed, as in the example of FIG. 5B.
By seeing both the smaller icon 510a-c and the enlarged icon 550 at
the same time a user will be able to form a cognitive link and
association between the smaller icon and the status it indicates or
presents.
[0044] Furthermore, in one embodiment the mobile communications
terminal 500 is configured to also display information 560 relating
to the status of a function being represented by the icons 510a-c
and 550. Such status information may be displayed as graphic data,
or, as in the example of FIG. 5B, as textual information.
[0045] The mobile communications terminal 500 is also configured
to, upon receiving a scroll command, possibly through the
navigation key 530b, display a second enlarged icon (not shown)
representing a second one of the smaller icons 510a-c and the
function associated with the smaller icon.
[0046] The user will thus be able to easily, and in manner that is
familiar to the user, retrieve information on a plurality of
statuses, and also associate the smaller icons with the related
functions.
[0047] In one embodiment the mobile communications terminal 500 is
configured to highlight the small icon 510a-c corresponding to the
enlarged icon 550. This highlighting can be achieved through an
emphasis of the icon's lines, a shadowing effect, a color effect or
through a line indicating a relationship being drawn from the
enlarged icon 550 to the smaller icon 510a-c. Other highlighting
can be achieved by diminishing the other non-corresponding small
icons 510a-c, for example by displaying the non-corresponding icons
510a-c in a darker color, with lower brightness or not displaying
them at all. This allows for a clearer link and association to be
formed by the user, as the link is indicated more clearly or even
directly on the display 520.
[0048] In one embodiment the mobile communications terminal 500 is
configured to display only the enlarged icon 550. This to enable
that the enlarged icon is displayed in as much detail as possible
to enable a user to see the icon as clearly as possible to be able
to distinctly remember it and later be able to identify it also in
a smaller format. This allows the user to form a cognitive link
between the status and the corresponding icon more easily.
[0049] In one embodiment the mobile communications terminal 500 is
configured to display an explanatory indication of the purpose or
function that the status relates to (see FIG. 6A for example). This
explicitly indicates the meaning of the icon and allows the user to
form a cognitive link more easily between the icon and the purpose
or function that the icon relates to.
[0050] By collecting all available status notifications and their
cognition-forming enlarged icons under one menu option, the
advantageous effect, that a user is not required to traverse a
complicated menu structure trying to find the status for each
feature on its own, is achieved. Such a task would otherwise be
regarded as highly complex by a technically inexperienced user.
[0051] FIGS. 6A-C each shows an example of a status notification
for each a feature and the corresponding enlarged icon being
displayed on a mobile communications terminal 600, such as the
mobile communications terminals 100, 200, 300, 350 and 500 of FIGS.
1, 2, 3 and 5.
[0052] In FIG. 6A the mobile communications terminal 600 is
configured to display a status notification for the current battery
level. An enlarged icon 650 representing a battery is displayed on
the display 620. Below the enlarged icon a status notification 660
indicating the current status of the battery is displayed. In this
example the battery is at 35%. This is also indicated by the
enlarged icon 650 showing only two bars. An explanatory indication
in the form of a descriptive title 680 is also displayed which
clearly identifies the purpose or function that the icon relates
to. By displaying both graphical data and textual data representing
the current status allows the user to associate the icon and the
status more easily. In this example the corresponding smaller icon
610 is highlighted by being displayed at all.
[0053] A corresponding smaller icon 610, also representing the
battery, is displayed. In this example the icon is displayed in the
same position as it is displayed in the idle view. This allows a
user to more easily associate the function of the icon with the
icon as the association will be reinforced by the position. It is
also possible to display the smaller icon in a fixed position. This
allows a user to more easily find the corresponding smaller icon
610 as he knows in which position to look for it.
[0054] A scrollbar 670 is also displayed, indicating that there are
more status notifications available. A user can scroll through the
various status notifications with a navigation key 630b.
[0055] FIG. 6B shows the mobile communications terminal 600
displaying a status notification for the signal strength (of the
received network signal) In this example only the descriptive title
680 and the status 660 are displayed. In this example the signal
strength is at 90%. This is also indicated by the number of bars in
the enlarged icon 650.
[0056] FIG. 6C shows the mobile communications terminal 600
displaying a status notification for the current alert type. A
descriptive title 680 is displayed as well as a status 660. In this
example the current alert type is both to ring and to vibrate. The
enlarged icon 650 shows this by both showing a note and diagonal
bars indicating the vibration. By allowing the user to see an
enlarged version of the icon representing the function or status a
user will be able to more clearly associate the various versions of
the icon with the corresponding functionality. It is difficult to
discern these smaller differences if the user is only allowed to
see only the smaller icons. If the user has not been made aware of
these differences it is very difficult for an inexperienced user to
notice them when seeing a smaller icon. In this example all smaller
icons 610 are also displayed as in the idle screen. The
corresponding smaller icon 610 is highlighted by being marked with
a box. As has been discussed above, various highlighting features
are available to a designer for highlighting a corresponding
smaller icon 610.
[0057] Some examples of statuses for various functions and features
are listed below along with possible variations of the icons (both
smaller and/or enlarged) for indicating the status graphically.
[0058] Signal strength: 0 bars->0%; 1 bar->1-20%; 2
bars->21-40%; 3 bars->41-60%; 4 bars->61-80%; 5
bars->81-100%.
[0059] Battery level: 0-1 bars->0-20%; 2 bars->21-40%; 3
bars->41-60%; 4 bars->61-80%; 5 bars->81-100%.
Alert type: Ringtone--a note, the bigger the note, the louder the
ringtone; Vibration--sideways bars.
[0060] SMS/MMS shows the number of unread messages.
[0061] Missed call shows the number of missed calls.
[0062] Alarm shall only be shown when there is any alarm actively
set, the notification shows the time of the alarm and if it is to
be repeated.
[0063] Bluetooth.RTM.: shall only be shown if Bluetooth.RTM. is ON.
The status texts and icons are: "Visible", "Not Visible" and
"Connected".
[0064] Call forward: Shall be shown if active.
[0065] Voicemail: shall only be shown if there are any voicemails.
Further examples have been listed in the above.
[0066] It should be noted that in one embodiment the status
notifications in the menu option showing the enlarged icons
(referenced 650 in FIGS. 6A-C) may be implemented to always show
the status notification even if the corresponding activity is null.
For example, if there are no voicemail present, the smaller icon
(610) is not displayed, whereas in the status menu option in the
notification is displayed with the enlarged icon (650) and a
descriptive text (660 and/or 680).
[0067] As can be seen in FIGS. 6A-C no other information (apart
from the status bar in FIG. 6C) is displayed. This enables a user
to focus on the relevant data and not be distracted by other
information. This is of great benefit as many technically
inexperienced users are easily bewildered and confused by the
amount of data that is presented to them by modern mobile
communications terminals.
[0068] It should be noted that although the example embodiments
herein are described with reference to a non-touch display it
should be clear that they can also be implemented on a touch
display or a combination of touch display and physical keys.
[0069] FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of a general method according to
herein. A mobile communications terminal displays 710 a menu option
and receives 720 a user command for selecting a displayed menu
option. In response thereto the mobile communications terminal
displays 730 an enlarged icon and displays 740 a corresponding
status information. To further allow a cognitive link to be formed
a smaller icon is also displayed 750. This is optional as is
indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 7.
[0070] The mobile communications terminal may further receive 760 a
scrolling command and in response thereto display 770 a second
enlarged icon.
[0071] One benefit is that the manner taught herein takes use of
the already existing user interface structure, both with regards to
the menu system or hierarchy and the hardware components necessary
to implement the user interface, since it does not require the use
of specially designated keys or that a touch screen is
required.
[0072] Another benefit is that a user will recognize the general
concept of the user interface and the improved status notification
will thus not present a mental obstacle that the user needs to
adapt to in order to be able to overcome. The user will thus be
able to take part of the notifications more easily and
intuitively.
[0073] One major benefit lies in that as the improved manner taught
herein provides the user with a cognitive link, the user will be
able to associate the status information and the smaller icon more
easily and learn the system more quickly compared to the prior art
systems.
[0074] The invention has mainly been described above with reference
to a few embodiments. However, as is readily appreciated by a
person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones
disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the
invention, as defined by the appended patent claims.
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